Dynamo electric machine



I (No Model.) v 5 Sheets-$i1eet 1.

' G. M. BALL.

DYNAMO ELECTRIC MACHINE.

No. 294,719. I Patented Mar. 4, 1884.

(No Model.) 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 C. M. BALL.

DYNAMO ELECTRIC MACHINE. No. 294,719. v Patented Mar. 4, 1884.

5 Shets-Sheet 3.

(No Model.)

' O. M. BALL.

DYNAMO ELECTRIC MACHINE.

No. 294,719. Patented Mar. 4, 1884.

(N0 Model.) 5 Sheets-Sheet 4.

0. M. BALL. DYNAMO ELECTRIC MACHINE.

No. 294,719, Patented Mar. 4'; 1884..

N. whens. Phakwblhogmphnr. WaSlIinglmL 0. c:v

(No Model.) 5 SheetsSheet 5.

0. M. BALL. v

DYNAMO ELECTRIC MACHINE. No. 294.719. Patented Mar. 4, L884.

m WWW 4 mg 41,5? 1

N PETERS. Phomhlhographnr. Washinglun n c UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CLINTON M. BALL, OF TROY, ASSIGNOR OF TWO-Tl-IIRDS TO JOHN MCKENZIE, OF VEST TROY, AND JOSEPH A. POVERS, OF LANSING-BURG, N. Y.

'EJYNANlO-ELECTRIC MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 294,719, dated March 4, 1884.

Application filed May 29,1883. (N model.) I

T0 aZZ whom, it may concern Be it known that I, CLINTON M. BALL, of Troy, in the county of Rensselacr and State of New York, have invented an lmprovementin Dynamo-Electric Machines, of which the fo1- lowing is a specification.

I make use of a revolving armature disk or wheel having recesses that receive the induction coils or helices, such recesscs'being of an to interior shape corresponding to the shape of the coil, and tapered or larger at the inner part of the disk than at the outer part, so as to retain the coils within the disks. Two disks, setting back to back, are placed so that the coils alternate in position, and the connections are taken oif to commutator-bars peculiarly constructed, and I use collectors or rubbers in place of brushes, such collectors being in the form of eontact-plates having concave 2o ends to fit the commutator-cylinder, and of a size slightly less than the width of the commutator-plates, so as to rest upon one of such plates before leaving the other, thereby tak' ing off a continuous and nearly uniform our- 2 5 rent and avoiding sparks.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a section of the machine transversely of the armature-wheel. Fig:-2 is an elevation of the said armature wheel. Fig. 3 is a cross-section of the com- 0 mutator in larger size. Fig. at is a longitudinal section of the same. Fig. 5 is a detached view of part of commutator and collector. Fig. 6 shows one of the commutator-divisions. Fig. 7 is a diagrammatic view of the connec- 5 tions of the coils to the commutator. Fig. 8 represents a modification in the armature-disk.

' Fig. 9 is a cross-section of the 5211116, and Fig. 10 is a diagrammatic representation of the armature-disk and circuits.

0 The armature-wheel is composed of the disks or flat rings a I), connected by arms 0, as in Figs. 1 and 2, to the hub cl on the shaft 6, or by a disk or flange, c, as in Fig. 8.

In the armature-disks a bthere are openings 5 that are conical or tapered, being largest at their inner faces, so that the coils or helices cannot escape from the openings into which they are received after the two disks or flat rings are bolted or riveted together, as at 'i.

If the openings in the two armature-disks 0o incide with each other, the coils will be wound of a thickness sufficient to fill the two open in gs,and largest at the central part, in the form of two truncated cones with their bases placed together, in order that the helices maytightly fill the openings in the disks and be secured by them, such disks being placed over the coils from opposite sides of such coils. I, however,usually prefer to provide separate ranges of coils K L, one range for each disk, and to place the disks so that the coils occupy alternating positions, as shown, in which case the coils in one range will have the current in duced therein intermediately to those of the other. The coils are either circular, as seen in Fig. 2, or elliptical, as seen in Fig. 8. In either instance there is to be a sheet of good insulating material-such as v ulcanized iib er introduced at it, between the disks and coils.

The helices or coils K L are shown as provided with tubular split cores 9, of a tapering form, which may be of any suitable material, either magnetic or otherwise; but I preferto use non magnetic materialsuch as brassand to split these cores, as shown, so as to prevent the development of electric currents in such cores as they pass the field-magnets; hence there will not be any development of heat or loss ofpower.

The disks to Z) in Fig. 8 are represented as 8 flat rings of insulating materialsuch as vulcanized or gelatinized fiber-and hence there will not be any electric currents developed in them, but when the disks are made of metal such as brass-in the form shown in Figs. 1

and 2, it is important to prevent the setting up of electriccurrents in the disk by induction from the field-magnets or from the circulation of currents in the coils or helices. For thisobject I construct the armature-wheel having According to a well-understood law, a radial conductor occupying the relation to the fieldmagnets of an arm or spoke of one of the armature-disks, and extending from the hub to the periphery, if it separately formed part of an independent closed circuit, would have induced electric currents set up therein of alter nately-opposite directions in the conductor when it had a movement of rotation imparted to it which would carryit across the magnetic fields of alternately-opposite polarity; and if the clu'rent in the conductor, when passing across the field of N S, were outwardly toward the periphery, at the next stage, when passing S N, it would be reversed, and the electrounotive force would be from the periphery toward the axis. If, new, the metallic basis or frame-work constituting the two disks which compose the armature-wheel had continuous outward and inward paths for the circulation of such induced currents symmetrical with the whole magnetic field, heating and loss of power would result therefrom. A certain number of the radial members of the disk symmetrical with alternate poles of the field, which are all of onclike sign, might, however, be connected together in the central portion about the axis and at the periphery; and if such a system were isolated from and had no returning-circuit through portions of the disk symmetrical with the intermediate poles of the field of the other and opposite sign, no continuous paths for the circulation of currents would exist. The clectro-motive forces would always balance each other in such a system when in any position in the magnetic field.

Referring to Fig. 10, in which a. and. I), con nected at the axis, correspond to the metallic disks of the armature-wheel, and noting the direction of the arrows which indicate the direction of the electro-motive forces, the point will be made entirely clear. To this end, therefore, it suffices to separate the web of metal between the pairs of helices, as seen at at at, and to thoroughly insulate the bolts or rivets from the disks by means of bushes and washers and to insulate the other parts of the machine. It is not necessary to separate all thewebs or narrow spaces between the respective coils. .Every alternate web may be left whole, because there is not a path or circuit all around either helix when the alternate webs are separated, as shown; and the disks maybe in metallic contact with each other through the shaft, because the circuit is not completed at the periphery. 13y this construction of armature-wheel I am able to obtain great,

be driven by suitable power. I remark" that the field-helices maybe in the circuit of the armature-coils, or they may be otherwise energized, as wellknown. It is also to be borne in mind that this mode of constructing the :n'mature-whcel is available with any clunaeter ofcircuit-connections. Ihavc,howevcr,shown the helices connected up in series in Fig. 7, the inner end of one helix going to the inner end of the next, and the outer ends being joined to each other, as shown, so that the helices will have alternating currents setup in. them as they pass alternating N and poles, and the currents will flow through the entire circuit of helices, first in one direction and then in the other, upon the well-known principles.

In order to connect the armature-hcliices to the commutator-plates If, I prefer to employ four insulated distributing-ri'ngs, E a t?) d, and the two ends of the armature-coils are connected to these, as re nresented, the ends of the coils K going to --f a and --c, and of L to +1) and "(1. Of course the polarity of these rings alternates as the helices are carried across t-hefield-poles. \Vith ten fieldunagnets, twenty commutator plates ll will. be required, as shown, and they are connected in regular or dcr to the rings, the plates 1, 5, 9, 1:3, and I? being connected to +0, and 2 e 10141810 f-1'), and so on, as indicated in Fig. 7.

As a substitute for the distriljuitingriugs, a single discontinuous ring of a like number of segments, insulated from each other and from the shaft, may be employed in their stead, to which the free ends of the armature-coils may be attached atone side, and wires leading from each segment at the opposite side to the corresponding commutator-plates, and. in the same order as it the distributing-rings -i'u {-1) d were enqiloyed- In such a case the said segments and branching wires would take the place as an equivalent of the dis tributing-rings and wires; but I prefer to use the distributing-rings, as thereby the crossing of the wires to the commutator-plates is avoided.

Upon reference to Figs. 3, 11-, 5, and (5, the peculiarities in the construction of the COlllmutator will be mulcrstood by the following description.

Upon the shaft 0 there is a cylinder of insulating material b7',into which radial saw-cuts are made and plates of vulcz'inizcd fiber (F are inserted. Between these, and upon the surfaces of the cylinder 1), the metal commutator-plates 1 2 3 -.t, &c., are laid and fastened by screws (1 Into the ends of the cylinder 71'' and the plates 0" annular grooves are turned,to receive the annular ribs upon the faces of the metal heads (2 c, which are clamped by the nut f. This constructioninsures great strength and perfect insulation, and new conuuutator-plates may be substituted without inconvenience for any that may become worn out. The exteriorsuriaces of the commutator bars and plates ICC 0 are turned or ground off perfectly true, and the collectors h k are applied at opposite sides of the commutator-cylinder. Each collector or rubber is composed of a number of plates with the ends curved to fit the curved surfaces of the commutator-bars. These plates are within the boxes Z that are supported by, but insulated from, the ring m". The boxes are open through and through in the direction of a radial plane to the shaft 6, and each box is provided with a movable cover, n, a follower, 0 a spring, 1 and a set-screw, Q2, to press the plates 7) it toward the commutators. The covers may be held on by pins 25, and r are the bindingposts for the external currents. The rubbers (if 7:) are not as Wide as the commutator-plates, and each rubber rests upon two of the commutator-plates during about two-thirds the time of movement of one of the plates across beneath the rubber, and upon one plate alone during about one-third of such time of movement, and this is while the current from that plate is at its maximum; hence the currents are not interrupted by the rubber passing from one plate upon the next; and I proportion the width of the rubbers to the commutator-plates, so that the current will be taken off nearly as long as it is flowing in one direction, for it is to be borne in mind that the polarity changes in these parts, that this change takes place in each plate ten times in one revolution, (with ten field-magnets,) and the induced current from each series of coils rises and. falls in intensity. The position of the rubbers is such as to correspond with that where the maximum intensity is obtained, and it takes the current from one plate as the intensity is rising in that plate and releases contact with the previous plate, in which the current is lessening at the instant when the current from the two plates ceases to be in equipoise, thus equalizing to a considerable extent the currents taken off to the external circuits. These rubbers wear much longer than the ordinary brushes, the contact is much more perfect, and the commutator can be lubricated, and the oil remains between the metal plates of the rubbers.

In my former application filed February 25, 1882, and renewed February 27, 1883, the armature-coils are represented as connected in a closed circuit, and branch wires taken off to the respective rings and commutator-bars. This connection is also represented in the Friek German Patent No. 3,147, December 6, 1877. In my present armature-disk the free ends of the helices pass to the rings and terminate in the commutator-plates, as before described.

I claim as my invention- 1. The combination, in an armature-wheel, of two flat rings or disks with conical or tapered openings, ranges of coils or helices introduced into the openings, and screws or rivets for clamping the rings together and holding the helices into the disks, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination, in an armature-wheel, of two flat rings or disks having conical or tapered openings, and two separate ranges of coils introduced into the openings in such disks, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination, in an armature-wheel, of two flat rings or disks having openings, helices, or coils within such openings, and a layer of insulating material between the respective disks and their coils, substantially as set forth.

4. The combination, with the helices, of an armature wheel or ring of metal recessed to receive the coils or helices, and having separations in the metal between the alternate helices at 4, forthe purposes and substantially as set forth.

5. The combination, with the armaturewheel, of helices or coils wound with an exteri or conical form to fit into the similarly-shaped openings in the armature-wheel, substantially as set forth.

6. The combination, with the commutatorplates and intervening insulating material, forming a cylinder, of collectors or rubbers, each composed of a range of plates with con- .cave ends fitting the surface of the commutator-cylinder, boxes for holding such plates, and springs to press upon the rubbers, substantially as set forth.

7. The combination,with therubbers, of the.

adjusting the springs, substantially as set forth 8. The combination, with the ranges of armature-coils, each having free ends, of the rings +a +6. e d, the commutator-plates and collectors, and the circuit-connections, arranged substantiallyas set forth.

9. The combination, with the circular range of field-magnet poles, separate ranges of induction elements in the armature,and the commutator-plates and collectors, of the branched connections between the free ends of the arma ture elements and their respective commutatorplates, arranged substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

Signed by me this 19th day of May, A. D. 1883.

CLINTON M. BALL.

XVitnesses:

J OHN F. BARTHEL, J12, 'War. SHAW.

vIIO 

